You might think that having guests over for brunch involves a lot of planning, a long grocery list and hours of prep time. While that may be true for a formal party for dozens of people, you can pull off a casual weekend brunch simply by showing up (and keeping a few key ingredients in your pantry/fridge).

Megan’s friend Ashley was visiting from New York this past weekend, so we decided to invite Michael and Marc over for brunch on Saturday morning. We hadn’t thought much about what to have, nor had we shopped specifically for the meal. Thankfully, having some very basic brunch-related ingredients on hand gives you the flexibility to make last-minute plans and still pull off a great menu. On that list: eggs, milk, flour, sugar, butter, baking soda/powder, cheese, fruits and veggies, bread, PB&J and cinnamon. Bonus ingredients include syrup, nuts and chocolate chips. With these few items you can make omelettes or egg scrambles (eggs of any kind, really) and pancakes/crepes/French toast/waffles, among other things. The only perishables–the dairy and produce–likely are things you’ll have around anyway.

I’ve made pancakes a lot recently and we don’t have a waffle iron, so we decided to give crepes a shot. I used Rachel’s recipe, and I must say that they aren’t as hard to make as I was expecting. They seem scary because they’re thin and large in diameter, but they’re easy to flip and turn a beautiful golden brown. We put out a number of toppings–cinnamon, sugar, butter, Skippy, apricot jelly–and let everyone choose their own.

Toppings Bar

Megan made an egg scramble by sauteing red onions, asparagus and red bell pepper (all of which we had in our fridge from other meals) and pouring in 10 whisked eggs–2 per person–and some shredded cheddar jack cheese. The salt combined with the sweet crepes made for a perfect balance.

Egg Scramble

Megan also insisted on making Bloody Marys, so Marc and I each tested her skill. She’s quite talented in this arena, and you can expect a guest post from her shortly on the subject.

Last-Minute Meal

So with a few staple ingredients and minimal preparation, you too can make a simple yet delicious morning meal to impress your guests.